As you know we live on a farm, so one day I left them all in the house alone! I was only going down to the mailbox. Five minutes tops. I dilly dally in the quiet. When I got back I could not get in the front door. Or the side door. Or the back door. *sigh* I knocked. I banged. I screamed, “Let Mommy in, please!” I peeked in the window though the curtains and saw them sitting on the couch. Laughing. They were playing a joke on me. The one that feeds them. The one that went through the pain to have ’em. They would NOT let me in. I had to take a screen off a window and climb through. Waaahaaaaaaaa It was not a pretty sight. Me climbing through a window. When I finally got in the house, there they were. Sitting on the couch. Giggling. Suffice it to say, I always slipped the house key in my pocket from then on.

About 13 years ago, Mariam Taguchi shared one of her favorite parenting stories with me. She had taken her oldest daughters to her niece’s baby shower. Mariam’s husband, Derek, stayed home to look after 23-month-old Noelle, who was too rambunctious to take along.

While Mariam was enjoying herself at the shower, she received a frantic call from hubby, who ran to the neighbor’s to use their phone. Derek had stepped out front for a moment and Noelle closed the door and locked it.

“She’s in the house crying and crying,” Derek said. “You have to come home NOW.”

“Stay calm,” Mariam said, then told him where she hid the extra key.

By the time Derek got inside the house, he found a mess in the kitchen. Noelle had spilled water from the dog’s dish all over the floor, in addition to throwing dog food everywhere. He then discovered his free-spirited toddler had taken off her clothes and was running through the halls, screaming with laughter, which Derek had mistaken for hysterical crying!

Do you have a parenting or grandparenting memory

or another story you’d like to share?

If you’re not a parent, memories from your own childhood count, too!

Warning: I might feature your story in a future post.

(Names can be changed to protect the guilty!)

I’d like to thank all those who have shared their stories.

These posts wouldn’t be the same without your input.

If you don’t want to leave a comment but would rather contact me by email,

here’s my address: lynkelwoohoo at yahoo dot com.

(A version of Mariam Taguchi’s story appeared in the Highland Community News in January 1999.)

Jack – I'm glad this made you laugh. Me, too! Yes, crying and laughing do sound similar!Alex – And I'm happy to say I never got locked out either, even though I have four kids! There's nothing funny about it at the time.Kitty – I know, I feel bad for the uncle, too. I'm wondering if it was his first time babysitting!Lee – You're right, it is terrifying. Whether they're locked in the house or in the car or something else, it's an awful feeling.inluvwithwords – I think it's pretty darn funny, too, after the fact! It does paint a great visual, doesn't it? LOL!Jennette – Haha! You mom must have been having a very bad day. What did she do when you crawled through the window? So funny!

Oh no! My sister once fell asleep while babysitting and the parents didn't have a key. They had to bang on the basement windows (where she was asleep on the couch in front of the tv). She finally woke up, but of course she was terrified at that point! 🙂

These are funny stories to read now, but I'm sure the parents were frantic back the ! :-)My daughter locked us out at a hotel when she was almost two. We were in a suite, and she happily locked herself inside one bedroom, laughing and waiving at me through the balcony window (I ran from the erase. The other part of the suite to the balcony and back, trying to make her open the door, with no luck. I had no cell phone reception, argh!, and my husband and son were outside. Finally, they came back, while I called the reception to send a maintenance guy to bust the lock to her bedroom. I was shaking by the time she was "freed from captivity", and she had the best time, playing hide-and-go-seek with me!